Remarks by Dr.Ayodele Odusola, Acting UN Resident Coordinator at the signing of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2020-2025)

Good morning

• The Minister in the Presidency, Honourable Mondli Gungubele,
• The Director General of the National Planning Commission, Dr Kefiloe Masiteng,
• Representatives from the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation,
• Representatives from the Ministry of Finance,
• Representatives from the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs,
• Members of the Diplomatic Corp,
• Excellencies,
• UN Country Team South Africa,
• Partners from the Private Sector, Civil Society and Academia,
• Members of the media
• Ladies and Gentlemen

As I stand before you on the momentous occasion – the signing of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2020-2025) – I also want to use this opportunity on behalf of the United Nations Country Team to share our deepest condolences to the government of South Africa and the families who have lost loved ones in the devasting floods in Kwazulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces in the past week. The UN Family stands ready to extend our support to the government’s response. We are already working toward reprogramming resources to support the affected communities. This is the time to rally as a nation to support the affected communities. We have seen once again the resilience of the South African people, displaying the values of UBUNTU we want you to know that the UN family stands with you. It is moments like these that reinforces the work the UN does in the country in as far as Climate Change is concerned. Building resilience in communities is an integral part of the Cooperation Framework. We will continue to support South Africa to Build Back Better. The Building Back Better paradigm must be central in our early recovery and longer-term development work. The Cooperation Framework we have signed is the instrument that will guide this early recovery and long-term work.

South Africa and the United Nations share a historic and unique relationship. The country was one of the 51 founding members of the UN in 1945. It was subsequently suspended during apartheid and then readmitted during the transition to democracy. Since 1994 the democratically elected government has pursued a foreign policy based on the centrality of the UN in the multilateral system. South Africa is a valued member of the UN System, and this is demonstrated in the number of times it was elected to serve in the UN security Council for the continent namely: 2007-2008, 2011-2012 and 2019-2020. The country has also demonstrated time and time again its commitment to peace and security and upholding human rights – particularly during Covid-19. South Africa has been consistently committed to the Principles of the United Nations Charter. South Africa’s leadership is also seen in its vision for the African Continent, which is prosperous, peaceful, democratic, non-racial, non-sexist and united, and which contributes to a world that is just and equitable through effective multilateralism.

We applaud the government of South Africa and look forward to supporting you as you work to realizing the National Development Plan.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have collectively travelled a long journey to get to this point of signing the new Cooperation Framework. The previous Strategic Cooperation Framework was implemented from 2013 – 2017. A decision was taken to extend the SCF to 2020 to ensure the new implementation cycle of the UNSDCF is aligned to the Government’s Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) 2019-2024. As you heard from our previous speakers this morning, the UNSDCF is the overall framework for the UN system’s work in South Africa. The design of this new-generation Cooperation Framework under the UN Reform Agenda was co-created with the Government and the UN Family with numerous multi-stakeholder consultative processes. One of the key milestones in the development of the Cooperation Framework was the convening of a Strategic Prioritisation Retreat (SPR) between Government, the UN and non-state actors. The SPR produced a robust theory of change that describes the interdependent adjustments necessary for the country to achieve the 2030 Agenda.

The Governance Mechanism aligned to the UNSDCF, agreed to by the government, is a much-lauded achievement for the UN / Government partnership in South Africa. No such governance structure has been put in place before. The overarching principle for the Governance model is that it should reinforce the UN Reforms at a countrywide level, serving as a mechanism that promotes greater collaboration between the Government, the UN, and other national partners. Importantly the governance mechanism is responsible for the entire programme cycle, including the design, implementation, monitoring and reporting phases of the Cooperation Framework. At the apex is the Minister in the Presidency and we look forward to your overall leadership as Chair of the Governance Mechanism for South Africa.

Despite a delayed signing of the Framework – this has not stopped us from working. Work Plans have been jointly developed between Government and the UN. This signing will now allow for the full implementation of the Joint Work Plans and our efforts to maximise our impact on the ground.

The UNSDCF is the UN’s unique contribution to national development in the country. We recognise the conditions for change are not completely under the control of the agencies implementing the CF but depend on contributions from the government and other partners. Resource mobilisation in an upper middle-income country like South Africa is a challenge. Lack of resources limits the full and effective implementation of our work thus limiting the potential of the UNs contribution to national transformation. It is in this regard, we look forward to your joint efforts toward mobilising resources, and in so doing supporting our work in the country.

With the new-generation Cooperation Framework, the UN in South Africa brings together the expertise and resources of more than 15 UN agencies to advance national implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UNSDCF commits the UN to strengthening its internal efficiency and harmonise business operations between agencies – in keeping with the principle of Delivering as One.

Honorable Minister, Ladies and Gentlemen - we can all be proud of this framework and in particular the joint governance model which is indicative of a different approach of how the UN will work in South Africa. We want South Africa to be a global case study on how Governments can collaborate with the UN at a national level for the attainment of the Sustainable Development Agenda as envisioned by the UN Reform.

I would like to place on record the UN Family's gratitude to our Government Partners, in particular the Office of the Minister in the Presidency, The Office of the Minister of DIRCO, including Mr. Cedrick Crowley and team, DPME and the National Planning Commission led by Dr. Kefiloe Masiteng and the team at GCIS, National treasury and COGTA who have given us the clearest entry point for implementation through the DDM, the team at the UN resident Coordinators Office and the UN Communications Group. Thank you for the quick turnaround in planning and executing this wonderful occasion. We would also like to thank the external service providers for their assistance to make today's occasion a success. Dr Masiteng you have been a formidable Programme Director who has been on this journey with us since 2019. Thank you for your consistent support.

The UN Family in South Africa uses this opportunity to emphasise and re-commit our efforts in support of the Government and people in South Africa in its pursuit of the National Development Goals.

I thank you !